A field study examining leader-member exchange (LMX): Challenging the universally positive conceptualization of LMX

The construct of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) - which emphasizes the quality of the relationship within supervisor-subordinate dyads - has received much empirical support over the last 25 years. Although high LMX relationships have generally been construed as universally positive in the scientific literature, some recent evidence suggests that: (a) all employees may not have an equal opportunity to develop high LMX relationships with their superiors, and (b) some high LMX employees may actually perform below the level o f their low LMX counterparts. In order to address both the positive and negative aspects o f LMX, the present thesis proposed and tested the Developmental Processing Model of LMX. Building on the seminal work of Dienesch and Liden (1986), this model makes an important distinction between automatic vs. conscious-based leader-member relationship development processes. Where automaticbased LMX development is conceptualized to occur rapidly based on supervisorsubordinate similarity/dissimilarity, conscious-based relationships develop more slowly based on a work-related behavior/attribution cycle. As a means of discriminating automatic from conscious-based relationship development processing, the Relationship Development over Time (RDT) scale was developed. The psychometric properties of this instrument were tested in Study 1, which consisted of 187 undergraduate participants who were employed at least part-time. Hypothesis testing occurred in Study 2, which utilized 83 sales representative and their respective managers as well as 70 back office insurance employees and their supervisors. The results o f both Study 1 and 2 determined that the RDT scale: (a) possesses high internal consistency reliability, (b) appears to be measuring a single underlying latent variable, and (c) shows evidence of construct validity. In Study 2, automatic-based relationship processing was found to be associated with higher LMX, OCBs, perceived leader-member similarity, and increased supervisory ratings of employee performance (and vice versa). Conversely, conscious-based relationships were linked with higher objectively measured performance, reduced perceptions of organizational justice, and increased employee intentions to leave. The implications of these findings to Dienesch and Liden’s developmental model, as well as the model proposed herein, are discussed

Leader -member exchange (LMX) or fulfillment? The role of basic psychological needs in LMX relationships

Although numerous researchers have consistently found high leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships to be associated with a variety of positive organizational outcomes, our knowledge of the basic underlying nature of LMX remains impoverished after nearly three decades of research. In an attempt to better understand why LMX relations are so important, the present dissertation took a fresh look at this construct through the lenses of the economic man versus basic psychological needs perspectives of human motivation. The economic man conceptualization views people as being led by an “invisible hand” which is both rational and self-interested. In contrast psychological needs theory views humans as intrinsically driven to fulfill certain basic and fundamental psychological needs. Specifically, based on a multidisciplinary literature review, basic psychological needs were operationalized to include belongingness, autonomy, and self-esteem. Although the economic man perspective has been very influential in social science theories of human motivation—including LMX—psychological needs fulfillment may also likely be a key issue in the workplace. In this vein, the workplace needs fulfillment hypothesis was proposed. Based on a thorough review of past LMX theory and research, it was deemed appropriate to apply the workplace needs fulfillment hypothesis to the LMX. To test this assertion, 436 student employees, and 196 of their respective supervisors, completed an assessment battery. In support of the proposed hypotheses, LMX was shown to significantly predict employee needs fulfillment. In addition, needs fulfillment (examined both individually and together) was found to mediate the association between (a) LMX and job satisfaction, as well as (b) LMX and affective well-being in the workplace. Needs fulfillment was also importantly related to employee organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), as well as reduced intentions to leave. Considered in sum, the present study found broad support for the proposed hypotheses. The implications of these results, and the workplace needs fulfillment hypothesis in general, are discussed from both applied and theoretical perspectives

Understanding the Experiences of Stigma and Discrimination of Caregivers of Children with Disabilities in Zambia: A Photovoice Project

Renee Hepperlen, Assistant Professor of Social Work, and Paula Rabaey, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy (OSOT) are awarded $9,300 to understand the experiences of stigma and discrimination of caregivers of children with disabilities in Zambia. The project will utilize Photovoice: a participant-driven process by which the researcher places cameras in the hands of the participants, instead of the hands of the researcher, thereby empowering participants to express issues they feel should be addressed. A creative approach will be taken by the study by focusing on caregivers of children with disabilities (CWD) in a developing country who are also marginalized by stigma and poverty; this population has had little focus in the literature and, as a collective, are a voice that is often unheard. Currently within Zambia, there is an effort to increase awareness of disability and decrease the stigma and marginalization that happens to CWD and their families. This project would contribute to the recognition of the experiences of caregivers of CWD -- bringing light to the voices of this marginalized group